


Maybe We're Going Where We're Supposed to Be

by SumDumMuffin



Series: Absolute Hoodwitch Armageddon [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-21 04:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21069125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SumDumMuffin/pseuds/SumDumMuffin
Summary: Some somber ennui, and loneliness.





	Maybe We're Going Where We're Supposed to Be

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely inspired by _Recover of an MMO Junkie_ and _Bee and Puppycat_

There was a knock at Glynda's apartment door. 

As a full blown early-retired NEET, Glynda avoided going outside and rarely had any visitors, so she was hesitant to even check who it was. 

But when she recognized the knocker, Glynda exhaled in relief.

"Oh, hello Ruby," Glynda said to her landlady's daughter, "Where's your mom?" 

"Asleep," Ruby said. She sneezed. She rubbed her nose with the sleeve of her hoodie, with the hand that wasn't carrying a small toolbox. "I'm here to fix your sink." 

"Oh, that-"

Glynda glanced back into her apartment- her very messy apartment, and at the kitchenette with the sink she'd messily stopped up with some sponges and fast food wrappers.

"That's- fine- I don't cook, anyway," Glynda said. 

"I still need to fix it." Ruby said. She sneezed again. 

Glynda looked over the mess in her apartment. She'd been meaning to fix it up at some point. "Ah, do you need to do it, right now? I mean, aren't you sick?" 

"It's not a problem," Ruby said, matter-of-factly. She stepped into the apartment. 

"Ah-"

"But you probably should find something to do while I work."   
  
  
  
  


"Ozpin!" Glynda said as she knocked on the door to the apartment four doors down and across the hallway from her. 

After a few seconds, an old man in a dark green bathrobe appeared at the door. 

"Hello Glynda," Ozpin said, "What can I do for you?" 

Glynda smiled with half her face. She glanced to the side. "Can I borrow your kitchen?" 

"Oh?" Ozpin said. He smirked, but his default expression was a smirk so Glynda could never tell if he was judging her or anything, "What for?" 

"The Landlady's daughter is fixing my sink, so I need to make her cookies so they don't raise my rent." 

"Well, cookies are the customary bribe for Ruby," Ozpin said, "But I don't think they'd charge extra for fixing your apartment. That's covered in the lease. "

Ozpin gesticulated towards his friend. "Plus, haven't you paid your rent on time since you've been here, what with your nest egg from your corporate accounting job. I mean, most shut-in aren't so quite so much by choice." 

"I, uh," Glynda rubbed her neck, "I've actually, forgotten to drop off my check a few times, because I was distracted with games…” 

Ozpin’s smirk didn’t change but Glynda was pretty sure he was judging her, right then. "Well, you're free to my kitchen and my help, but I don't know if I have all the ingredients." 

"Oh, I ordered some pre-made cookie mix and a stick of butter online," Glynda lifted her phone. "But- um. Could you, answer the door for me?" 

Ozpin laughed. "Sure, but you've been outside before. You just gotta practice doing so, more often." 

Cooking itself turned out to be pretty straightforward, but admittedly, Ozpin did all the hard parts, like setting the oven and setting up the baking trays. 

"It's called 'baking', actually," Ozpin corrected, "If you're primarily using an oven." 

"They have a whole different word for it?" Glynda raised an eyebrow. 

"Anyway," Glynda finished wrapping the cookies, minus Ozpin's share, "Thanks for- you know." 

"Anytime. It's always nice to see you in person," Ozpin said, "Not that that means I intend to miss our nightly gaming sessions." 

"I don't have anything better to do," Glynda said. She shot a finger gun at Ozpin and clicked her mouth. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ruby was doing something with the sink when Glynda returned.

"Oh- are you, still working?" Glynda asked

Ruby sneezed. "I'm just finishing up." 

"Oh, okay. So I, um," Glynda said, to her bag, "I brought you some cookies, as, payment...?"

"Oh! Um," Ruby's professional demeanor broke, for a second, just then. "Thanks but, um. That's not necessary..."

"I insist." Glynda handed over the cookies.

Ruby sheepishly took a cookie and sheepishly took a bite of the cookie. 

"So, do you cook?" Ruby said, to fill the silence. 

"Honestly, no..." Glynda said, "But! these are, home made. One of my friends helped." 

“Figures," Ruby said. She disappeared into the cabinet that housed Glynda's kitchenette plumbing. "The leak was due to wear and tear, but I noticed your sink was clogged up with fast food sauce." 

"Ah-" Glynda felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, cooking is, hard...."

"It is...." Ruby said. She sneezed. 

"Thanks for the cookie," Ruby said, as she prepared to leave. She pointedly left the bag on the counter.

"Oh, no, the whole batch was for you-"

"That's- that's not strictly necessary," Ruby said.

"No no- I insist."

"I... can take half, maybe?" 

Glynda shot the girl a smile. "Okay, yeah. That way, I can have the rest for dinner." 

Ruby looked concerned. "That's all you intend to eat for dinner?" 

Glynda glanced at the fast food wrappers overflowing her nearest trash bin. "To be fair, I've had worse dinners." 

Ruby scrunched her mouth to the side. "Well, I'd offer to cook you, like, a lasagna in exchange, but I don't cook soooo," She rubbed the back of her head, "Do you want to go somewhere? For dinner?" 

"Oh! Um, you mean, like at a restaurant?" 

"Yeah." 

Glynda paused. "You mean, like, outside?"

"Well, most restaurants are inside, but you'd have to go outside on the way to them. So, I guess so?" 

Glynda took a deep breath. Well, it'd be good practice. She supposed she was dressed well enough to be in a restaurant for a little bit. And food was good, so. "Sure."

They ate a few of the cookies on the way to a nearby Chinese restaurant Ruby insisted was good. 

"My dad used to cook us Chinese food," Ruby said, as she looked over the menu, "But I'm not too used to home-cooked food to enjoy fast food." 

"I've ordered a lot of this stuff over takeout," Glynda said.

"Yeah. It's tasty, because they put a lot of sugar and salt in it, but I'm not complaining," Ruby said. "If anything, that means if I ever learn to cook, I should just dump sugar into the sauce."

Glynda laughed. "I'll have to remember that." 

"So are you done with college yet?" Glynda said. "I think I remember Summer mentioning you heading out, a few years ago." 

"I'm doing the last few classes online." Ruby shrugged. "But maybe I'll just call it here and repair sinks for a living." 

Glynda chuckled. "I guess i never checked my sink, so I can't tell you if you're good at it or not. But college only got me a job I hated." 

"But it must have paid pretty well, to allow you to retire so young." 

Glynda chuckled, more awkwardly this time. "Well, thank you, for implying I still look young." 

"Woah- that's cool." Ruby pointed to Glynda's hands.

Glynda looked down at the origami boar she'd subconsciously poured her nervous energy into making out of her napkin. "Oh. Aha. This is, just a habit I picked up while waiting in queue for, um, games." 

Glynda offered the boar to Ruby. 

They talked a bit, over dinner. Ruby insisted on paying, and she offered Glynda all the fortune cookies. 

Ruby returned to her apartment. 

She did her usual going home routine with the sole addition of taking some tea for her cold, before heading into her mother's room. 

Ruby walked around the machines and IV tubes to sit next to Summer's unconscious form. She pulled out Glynda's origami figurine and placed them next to the other idle baubles that decorated Summer's stagnant pillow and nightstand and monitors. 

Ruby curled up on the bed, next to her mother, falling asleep to the regular beeping of of a medical monitor.   
  


Glynda returned home to her computer in time to stave off the loneliness with some online company and some regimented tasks and busywork. 

At one point her hand brushed her pocket and the fortune cookies inside. 

She ate the cookie, and then looked at the fortune.   
  


_Every day is an opportunity to let someone into your heart. _


End file.
